🐪 The Tarot of Workaholism
It was a warm Saturday afternoon when Nasruddin Hodja arrived at Mango Meadows with a donkey, a kettle of tea, and a curious deck of cards no one had seen before.
“This,” he said, “is the Tarot of Workaholism. It only appears when the soul is tired but the calendar is full.”
He laid the cards on a charpoy under the neem tree. The first card revealed itself: The Donkey with a Briefcase. Then came The Ghost of Unfinished Dreams, followed by The Burnt-Out Ascetic.
“You see,” he said, sipping his tea, “this isn’t about ambition. It’s about anesthesia.”
🧠 Workaholism: The Psychiatric Masquerade
Workaholism is not a badge of honor. It is a behavioral addiction—a compulsive engagement in work that cloaks unresolved psychic pain. Neurochemically, it mimics substance addiction: dopamine hits from praise, cortisol spikes from deadlines, and panic when left idle.
Under clinical scrutiny, it often walks in step with:
- Obsessive-compulsive traits (rigid routines, perfectionism)
- Anxiety disorders (catastrophizing, hypervigilance)
- Depressive patterns (emotional numbness masked by busyness)
From a psychological and hypnotherapeutic perspective, it functions like a trance state—a narrow, dissociative focus that cuts us off from the body, from grief, and from the quiet ache of unmet needs.
At the core? Frequently, it traces back to the mother wound.
🧬 The Mother Wound: The Original Contract
This wound is rarely cruel, but often conditional. It begins with the mother who praised performance but withheld affection in stillness. The mother who celebrated achievement but feared emotional vulnerability. The child internalizes:
- “I must earn love.”
- “Rest is dangerous.”
- “If I stop, I disappear.”
Over time, this silent contract drives the compulsion to overwork. The inbox becomes an umbilical cord. The spreadsheet, a stand-in for safety. We chase productivity not to thrive—but to survive.
🧾 The Tarot Table of Workaholism
| Aspect | Workaholism | Aligned Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Motivation | Fear-driven: “I must prove I’m enough.” | Purpose-driven: “This is what I’m here to do.” |
| Emotional Core | Shame, guilt, anxiety, inner critic (often maternal in tone) | Joy, flow, curiosity, inner guidance |
| Relationship to Work | Compulsive, addictive, identity-fused | Integrated, nourishing, ego-dissolving |
| Impact on Self | Burnout, disconnection, health collapse | Expansion, vitality, spiritual coherence |
| Perception | “I have to do this.” | “I get to do this.” |
| Cultural Framing | Morally sanctioned addiction; rewarded by capitalism | Often misunderstood or undervalued unless monetized |
| Spiritual Dimension | Work as penance, martyrdom, or avoidance of inner void | Work as prayer, offering, or co-creation with the divine |
| Julia Cameron’s Lens | “There is a treadmill quality to workaholism… we depend on our addiction and resent it.” | “Creativity is a spiritual experience… a sacred path to self-recovery.” |
| Money Sober Insight | “Workaholism is not ambition—it’s hiding. It’s itchy. It’s filling a hole.” – Jennifer Romolini | “Enough is a feeling, not a number.” – Manisha Thakor |
🃏 The Tarot of Workaholism
Here is the full deck that Nasruddin laid out. Each card, a mirror. Each symbol, a story you may recognize in your own life.
| Card | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The Donkey with a Briefcase | The Fool in burnout clothing; overburdened by invisible expectations |
| The Ghost of Unfinished Dreams | Haunting the house of “someday”; the art, rest, and joy deferred |
| The Burnt-Out Ascetic | Worships deadlines, fasts on joy; believes collapse is devotion |
| The Mother Mirror | Reflects conditional love; the origin of the inner critic |
| The Inbox Tower | Collapse under the weight of unread expectations |
| The Calendar Wheel | Spinning endlessly; never arriving |
| The Mask of Productivity | Smiling while suffocating; praised for pain |
| The Trance of Doing | Hypnotized by urgency; afraid of stillness |
| The Ritual of Enough | The sacred pause; the moment of reclamation |
| The Return to Self | Integration, rest, and embodied presence |
🕯️ A Gentle Diagnosis,
If you’ve drawn any of these cards in your own life—if your joy is on layaway and your body feels like a deadline—know this: it’s not a moral failing. It’s a diagnosis with a soul.
“Even the donkey,” Nasruddin said, “knows when to lie down in the shade.”
If you’re ready to step off the spinning wheel, not into a solution but into a softer question, I invite you to begin with a conversation. Not a pitch. Not a program. Just a pause.
🌿 Book a Clarity Call with Parwati Let’s draw a new card together.
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